Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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I was not fishing, but happened to be at an unrelated social event on a hill above this tiny creek (which I never even saw) when this stonefly flew by me. I assume it came from there. Some key characteristics are tricky to follow, but process of elimination ultimately led me to Sweltsa borealis. It is reassuringly similar to this specimen posted by Bob Newell years ago. It is also so strikingly similar to this nymph from the same river system that I'm comfortable identifying that nymph from this adult. I was especially pleased with the closeup photo of four mites parasitizing this one.
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Troutnut on Jul 20, 2006July 20th, 2006, 5:25 pm EDT
I'm not sure why I had this specimen in the Baetidae to begin with. The eyes aren't turbinate and the hind wings are fairly large. I'm going to guess Paraleptophlebia at a glance, but I should come back to this one later. Any thoughts?
It's a pity the pictures are so fuzzy and dust-spotted up close. I took this picture before I really learned how to use and maintain my Canon 20D.
It's a pity the pictures are so fuzzy and dust-spotted up close. I took this picture before I really learned how to use and maintain my Canon 20D.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Taxon on Jul 20, 2006July 20th, 2006, 9:22 pm EDT
Jason-
The claspers certainly look like those of Paraleptophlebia. Have you got a higher resolution photo of the penes? When I blow up the photo that shows them, it distorts too much to see them clearly.
The claspers certainly look like those of Paraleptophlebia. Have you got a higher resolution photo of the penes? When I blow up the photo that shows them, it distorts too much to see them clearly.
Troutnut on Jul 21, 2006July 21st, 2006, 1:24 am EDT
Sorry, I don't have a better photo. The sensor resolution isn't the issue on these -- it's the fact that I shot them all at f/32 to get a large depth of field, because at the time I didn't realize how much the diffraction caused by the narrow aperture was spoiling the pictures. The resolution allowed by the lens at that aperture isn't very good.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Taxon on Jul 21, 2006July 21st, 2006
Jason-
Likely Paraleptophlebia mollis. See CP VII in Hatches II.
Likely Paraleptophlebia mollis. See CP VII in Hatches II.
Troutnut on Jul 22, 2006July 22nd, 2006, 5:36 am EDT
My copy of Hatches II is packed away in boxes like most of the rest of my stuff until August, but the date and general appearance seem right. I don't know how to tell mollis apart from strigula and guttata, which often hatch together with it, but I'll tentatively put this specimen in mollis for now.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
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